Ski structure



July 14, 1942- .1.l T. RYDBERG 'l I 2,289,459

SKI STRUCTURE Filed March 26, 1941 g, BY i JLL'S'A arney Patented July `14, 1942 UNITED'STATES PATENT OFFICE SKI STRUCTURE John T. Rydberg, Harrison, N. I. Application 'March 26, 1941, serial No. 385,247

Claims.

This invention broadly relates to snowshoes or skis of the articulated or folding type, similar to that shown and described in my co-pending application Serial No. 273,386, now Patent No. 2,260,057, granted October 2l, 1941, for Collapsible ski, and especially deals with an improved ski binding structure, intended to be employed with articulated ski runners.

In the aforesaid co-pending application there is disclosed a collapsible ski runner composed of two hinge-connected members, equipped with a fixed, substantially channel-shaped-` binding structure, having fixed toe irons, said binding structure being permanently secured to one of the members and being adapted to releasably engage the other member when the ski runner is in operative position, the two runner members being designed to be folded or collapsed against one another when the ski is to be carried. The present invention represents an improvement over the briefly outlined ski runner, and has for its prime object the provision of an adjustable binding structure, to be fitted to runners of different widths, its toe irons being adjustable to shoes of different breadth and to the different thicknesses of their soles, and wherein means are provided for equipping the structure with either adjustable cable or adjustable strap means for securing the shoe against disengagement from the binding structure.

A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of improved, specially designed hinge connections for the two runner members, adapted to provide greater safety in joining them, and to increase accuracy and speed of attachment.

Another object of this invention is to provide, in conjunction with a ski runner, an improved climber device, which may either form a part of the binding structure, or may be attached separately to an existing runner, and which climber is adapted to be readily placed into operative or inoperative positions without the requirement of disengaging the runner from the shoes` of the skier.

The foregoing and still further objects and other important advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the ensuing description and the accompanying drawing, wherein Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an articulated ski runner, equipped with my adjustable binding structure;

Fig.. 2 is a top View of my binding structure partially broken off;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof, showing the climber in broken lines in its operative position;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan View of a portion of my collapsible runner, equipped with my adjustable binding structure and the improved hinges;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged section taken on line 5 5 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged partial section taken on line 5 6 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is an interior plan View of my new hinge structure employed with my runner;

Fig. 8 is a section taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 7, including a portion of the runner, not shown in the previous figure;

Fig.l 9 illustrates an independent climber device, similar to that indicated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 10 illustrates another type of a climber, intended to form a part of my binding structure; and

Fig. 11 is the same type of climber, adapted to be attached independently to existing ski runners.

Referring now specifically to the gures, numeral I0 denotes the front member of my ski runner, while numeral II indicates the rear member thereof, which is shown folded in broken lines in Fig. 1. These two members are hingedly connected at I2, and are held in their operative, full-line position by a binding structure I3.

That structure is more clearly illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. It consists of twov angularly shaped, floor plate members I4, in the horizontal portion of which are provided at one end adjusting slots I5, clearly seen in Figs. 2 and 5. Beneath the slots is a fixed bridge member I6, having a plurality of threaded apertures for the reception of screws I'I, by means of which the two floor plates may be held in any adjusted position. The other end of the oor plates is provided with serrations or teeth I8, as clearly seen in Fig. 2, with which serrations register other serrations I9 provided in toe irons 20. These toe irons are also equipped with adjusting slots 2i, through which pass screws 22, adapted to hold the toe irons in adjusted position. 'I'hus the floor plates are held at one end in adjusted position by bridge member I6, and at the other end through the engagement of serrations I8 by serrations I9 of toe irons 20. In this manner the binding structure may be applied to` ski runners of any width.

When the proper adjustment and attachment has been made, cover plate 23 is placed over the oor plates, and is secured by a number of screws to the body of front runner member I0, and by screw 24 to bridge member I6. In addition to holding the binding structure Xedly connected with front member I by means of cover plate 23, side flanges I4 of the floor plates are attached by one or more screws 25 to the elevated sides of the front member, as clearly seen in Fig. 3. At the rear of flanges I4 of the floor plates are provided at least two apertures 26, adapted to be snapped into positive engagement with the heads of screws 21, extending from the sides of the raised body portion of rear member Il.

Below toe irons 20 there are provided in side iianges I4 hook-shaped, stamped-out projections 28, serving for guiding a binding cable 29, shown in Fig. 1. The front end of the latter is preferably adjustably secured by a coverable multiple hook arrangement 30, whereas the rear portion of the cable is adapted to engage a groove arranged in the heel of the shoe, as indicated in Fig, 1. If instead of cable 29 an adjustable strap is desired, the same may be attached to stamped-out lugs 3l, extending sidewise from toe ironsV 20.

For the purpose of facilitating a secure attachment to the toe irons of shoes with soles of different thickness, an adjustable shoe-sole engaging flange 32 is provided with, and is operative in suitable slots of each of the upright portions of the toe irons, and may be held in adjusted position by means of nuts 33, clearly seen in Fig. 3. Above flange 32 there is arranged a strap hole 34, see Figs. 3 and 6, the upper edge of which is curled upon itself as shown at 35, to prevent cutting and wear and tear of the strap.

Referring now to Figs. 4, 5, '1 and 8, it will be seen that along the outer edges of the ski runner metal reinforcing strips 36 are imbedded in the ski runner material. In Fig. 4 their ends are shown to abut with the ends of the horizontal anges 31 of my improved hinge structure, seen in detail in Figs. '1 and 8. This hinge structure consists of two angular members, each consisting of the longitudinal, horizontally disposed. flanges. 31v and abutting vertical flanges 38; Flanges 31 are longer and are imbedded in the work surface of the two runner members, whereas vertical flanges 38 are imbedded in the abutting faces of the runner members, as clearly seen in Fig. 8. Within the curved portions connecting flanges 31 and 38 there are lodged pins 39, which pass through flat elements 40, the latter extending through suitable slots 4| provided in vertical flanges 33. These doublepin hinges are not only imbedded in, but are also secured to both the work surface as Well as the abutting ends of the runner members, whereby greater security and safety, as well as better alignment of the hinge pair is assured.

In Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, there is illustrated at 42 a swingable climber bar, which is normally in its inoperative upswung, full-line position. This bar is connected with flanges I4 of the floor plates by means of links 43, and is preferably held in that position by means of a snap arrangement, as will be explained later in connection with Fig. 9. When it is desired to climb, bars 42 on both sides of the ski are swung down against one or more stops 44, which prevent the bars from swinging upwards while the skier climbs.

Referring now to Fig. 9, an independent climber arrangement is illustrated, wherein an attaching plate 45 is provided for securing the climber to any existing ski runner by means of screws adapted to pass through screw holes 46. Otherwise the construction is similar to that described in connection with Fig. 3. In order to hold bar 42 in its upswung position, there is provided in at least one of the links 43 an aperture 41, adapted to snap over and to engage a spherical projection 48, extending from plate 45, or from flange I4' of the floor plates.

Referring now to Figs. 10 and 1l, there is illustrated another type of climber in a somewhat simplied form. In both figures the climber consists of a swingable, serrated member 49, which is hinged at 50 and may be swung either to a downward, operative position, or to an upward inoperative position, as clearly seen in these illustrations. When in operative position the climber is prevented from moving upwards by stop means 5|. The climber is held in its inoperative position by the engagement of aperture 52 with the spherical projection 53 provided in the climbers supports. In Fig. 10 the climber support is intended to be the side flange I4 of my binding structure, where as in Fig. 11 the support is in the form of a plate 54, which may be independently attached to an existing ski runner. Obviously both climber structures shown in Figs. 3 and 9 and 10 and 11 must be of left and right-hand types.

While I have shown and described specific constructions of my different devices, it is to ,be understood that changes and improvements may be made therein, and I therefore reserve for myself the right to make such changes and improvements, without departing from the broad scope of my invention, as expressed in the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. In a ski structure, a runner having articulated front and rear members, a pair of sidewisely spaced, aligned, double-pin, angularly shaped hinges secured to and imbedded both at the bottom and at the abutting ends of said members and operatively connecting them; a pair of angularly shaped oor plate units, a pair of adjustable toe irons and a cover plate forming together a substantially channel-shaped binding for the ski structure and being fixedly secured in its adjusted position to one of the runner members and extending over the other member, the extending portion of the binding being adapted to engage, embrace, overlap and interlock with said other member, and locking means provided at the sides of said other member and in the depending flanges of the floor plate units for holding the members in operative, continuous position.

2. In a ski structure as per claim 1, said floor plate units and said toe irons being adjustable to different widths of runners and toes, respectively, and being provided with means for holding them in adjusted position.

3. In a ski structure, as per claim 1, said iioor plate units and said toe irons being adjustable to different widths of runners and toes, respectively, and being provided with means for holding them in adjusted position, said toe irons having adjustable shoe sole engaging means.

4. In an articulated ski runner, front and rear runner members hingedly interconnected with one another, the hinge connection joining -the runner members consisting of two aligned, angular, double-pin hinges having longer and shorter anges, both imbedded in the runner material and secured, respectively, to the work surface and the abutting ends of the members, an adjustable binding structure fixedly secured to the hinged end of one runner member, and adapted to forcibly engage the hinged end of the other runner member, when the ski runner is in operative position, said binding structure comprising angle-shaped floor plate units, a bridging member adjustably uniting one of their ends, toe irons adjustably engaging their other ends, a cover plate overlaying the units and toe irons and secured to one runner member and said bridging member, adjustable shoe-sole engaging elements associated with saidltoe irons, and means for securing a cable and other means for securing straps, both means being arranged with said binding structure.

5. In a binding structure for articulated ski' ing serrated edges in engagement with the serrav tions of the units, the flanges of the units having means at one end for xedly securing them to one member of an articulated ski runner, and other means for tensonally engaging the other member of the ski runner, adjustable shoe-sole engaging means provided with the upright portions of the toe irons, and cable guides extending from the flanges of the units.

JOHN T. RYDBERG. 

